Sonata Of Oblivion
by WhiteDoveMinwu
Summary: 1999, East Europe: The solar eclipse is lingering still, chaos and darkness are wrecking the world. Julius Belmont, the heir of the legendary whip Vampire Killer, has to set out to end Dracula's reign before it can truly begin. He is not yet suspecting anything, and has no idea what will await him in the accursed castle...
1. Black Sun Over Europe

_1999__, East Europe, 11th of August. The prophesies have turned out to be true, and Dracula has been reborn. Under the blackened sun burning in the skies, the accursed castle was deeply rooted in once pure soil, having infused it with the taint of darkness._

_The world has come to a standstill, humans are suffering under the merciless rule of darkness. Called forth by the Belnades and Hakuba clans, as well as by the son of the Dark Lord, Julius Belmont is summoned to bring an end to the castle. _

_While the members of the Hakuba clan prepare for the sealing ritual, Julius must travel into the castle to seek out Dracula and wear down his strength, for the solar eclipse to be his end._

_-End of Author's Note-  
_

At 19, life still wasn't that complicated. Maybe even only really getting started. A girlfriend, a job or studying at university, a normal life. All of that didn't apply to him, and never would. Simply because he was destined to become what his family had been since centuries: the mortal enemies of the Dark Lord. The ones to push Dracula back into his grave time and again.

He knew the family legacy, and he knew what history the clan had seen. Every single man of his bloodline had struggled to overpower Dracula, but none of them ever had succeeded in putting and end to the vicious cycle of being reborn over and over again. Dracula seemed to be bound to return, no matter how often he was struck down—be it by cross, magic, whip, or the sun itself.

It felt strange to put on the coat, and to pick up the blessed weapon of his bloodline. Vampire Killer, the infamous whip having accompanied every Belmont in battle, since the very first of their line had crafted it. And while the years had passed, new powers had joined the holy force behind the whip. There even was the rumor that somewhere in this world, a whip to match Vampire Killer existed. But he never had believed such rumors.

Julius Belmont, the currently last member of a long bloodline of famed and honored hunters, had been asked to travel into the castle born from chaotic darkness. The minions of the Dark Lord veiled the whole world in darkness, time standing still at the outbreak of Chaos. Only if this nightmare was ended, there would be hope for the world to return to its former peace.

It was strange to think that more than 50 years ago, the whip had been wielded the last time. Back then, a young man named Jonathan Morris had been bearing what should have been a Belmont's burden. His ordeal had ended Dracula's rise from the pained souls left behind by World War II, but also had shown that the Belmonts had failed to live up to their call as hunters. But now, he had the chance to bring the name Belmont back to its former glory.

"Are you ready, Julius?" Adrian Tepes, dressed in a quite formal suit and looking distant and cool as ever, had entered the room without announcing his presence beforehand. "We can't afford to wait for much longer."

"I am aware of that, Alucard." Julius sighed, looking down on the whip with a frown. "It's just strange to think that I am supposed to be the world's hero. The salvation in dark times."

"Are you doubting yourself, Julius?"

"No." Julius snickered quietly, following Adrian out of the mansion. "I am merely stating that it's a strange feeling."

"Good. Doubt is not fitting a true hunter."

Julius had known Adrian for long enough to know that beneath the detached mannerism, the dhampire merely was concerned about his health and his oath. Many men had wavered in the face of dark powers, had succumbed and changed drastically, to then merely be canon fodder for Dracula's very own pleasures. Not even other vampires were safe from the Dark Lord's influence. Brauner had been only one example in a long line of tragic cases of delusional men. Inwardly, Julius hoped that he wouldn't have to deal with such a man, or woman. He was not in the mood for long banter and gnawing doubt.

As soon as he stepped to the outside, Julius had the feeling a hand was grasping his neck and choking him. The thick fog of dark powers was constantly around them, suffocating them with its density and the chaotic powers infusing it. Adrian had to watch out more than anyone else, but since he had sealed his powers shortly before the castle's return, he was no threat as long as the spell placed over them held out. To anyone else with dark blood, though, the fog was a source of brainwashing and danger.

They walked in silence, while around them, the Apocalypse seemed to have sunken around the world. It had come unexpectedly, it had stalked upon them silently, and now was wrapping the world up in oblivion. Slowly obliterating memories of a time of peace and shining sun, of a world without constant threats, were giving the castle more power and more substance. The Dark Lord seemed to almost have won, but there still were thousands of people around the world fighting against the welling darkness.

And in the middle of all of it, Adrian Tepes had found the way to defeat Dracula. The solar eclipse could be used to seal him, and the castle, for good. The clan of the Hakuba—they knew how to bind even gods with rituals. But there always would be some sort of trace remaining, lingering in the world like a small wound. A wound which never could be removed. But they would care for the world's resurrection from the war tearing at the world's very substance.

Julius felt a strange restless stirring in his heart as they approached the castle, as far as they dared for a cursory examination. Around the castle, floating stone was indicating that it was trapped in time just as the rest of the world. How everything was flowing still was a mystery the Belnades clan blamed on the fact that there was too much Chaos in the world by now. The chaotic energies had ripped apart constructs of logic and laws of nature alike. Clouds never releasing their soothing rain, the heat pressing down on them, the thick black fog—it all was defying nature itself.

But this time, the Belmont clan wouldn't stand by and let someone else take action. Julius grasped Vampire Killer tightly, his eyes on his target. The highest pinnacle of the castle, the traditional place for the Dark Lord to feast on the world's misery. It was sickening Julius to merely think about it. But he could do something against it, and that was his strongest weapon. The Dark Lord would not have won, unless the Belmont clan would be completely shattered. And even then, other hunting clans would have taken over the legacy of the Belmont clan, even if they never would have matched the strength wielded by the hunters of the night.

It could have been all too easy, had the castle not immediately started to supply its master with energy. The Hakuba clan may was capable of executing an unbelievably powerful ritual, but with the current waves of pure dark and chaotic energy unleashed, it was impossible to carry it out thoroughly. It would have been corrupted by the energies flowing freely, and with that served Dracula to gain even more power, rather than being sealed in a solar eclipse and be lost in it forever. They had to be careful, especially this close to the source of the world's darkness.

"It's incredible how high the amount of darkness is." Julius was shuddering at the impact of wave after wave of slowly rolling darkness, the chaotic energy plucking at his heart and whispering to him all too seductively. "How can he supply himself like this?"

"Darkness still is a side of humanity better kept under lock and seal." Adrian had fixed his eyes on the distant castle, an unreadable expression on his face. "It can't be completely suppressed. It is a natural state. A counterpart towards light. '_Where there is light, there must also be darkness_', isn't that how it goes?" Adrian chuckled quietly. "But there is a limit. It must be balanced, but as soon as toppled over … it's either Paradise or Inferno."

"I never was a fan of too much heat." Julius grasped the cross around his neck, uttering a soft prayer. "Nor do I want to find out what Chaos could do to the world still. So, the traditional way, it will be?"

"Exactly. Seize the energy cores, cut off Dracula's supply bit by bit, and weaken him enough to send him straight back to his casket." Adrian had closed his eyes, his hand seeming to close around something in his pocket. "I know you can do it, Julius. You _must_ do it. There is no way around this."

"I'm aware of that, too." Julius nodded at the assembled Belnades', Hakubas and at Adrian. "I will be successful. With the spirit of my family flowing through my very veins, it won't be long until Dracula will rest in peace."

"Just don't let your family's general character overwhelm you." Adrian chuckled quietly, one of the very few instances he would let something like that shine through. "Richter has been a thick-headed fool, almost drawn in completely by darkness, and many other Belmonts were dancing on that fine edge. But I trust that you are more composed than them."

"We will discuss that as soon as I return, alright?" Julius turned towards the castle, taking a deep breath. "Well, here I go. I expect that when I return, you will all be celebrating the one true hero."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Julius."

"I won't." And with Adrian's warning still in his ears, Julius set off towards the castle looming into the unnaturally dark sky. He would not fail on his quest. He would prove the world, and himself, that he was a full-fledged Belmont, and able to take down whatever threat the darkness offered. Still, it was a strange feeling to finally enter the castle, and begin the quest of his fate...


	2. Hunter By Blood

Julius quite soon had to notice there was more about being a hunter than just wielding a whip, and knowing how to effectively use his secondary weapons. It was a question of focus, and unrelenting will. The zombies, opposed to his imagination, were not looking like clones of each other. No, they all sill bore their individual faces. He could see what people they had been. And it was unsettling him deeply.

After only ten minutes of fighting, he was out of his breath, needing to seek shelter in one of the many save rooms of the castle. It was strange to see places of serenity and holy energy in the middle of such a castle, but then again, he guessed that with all the chaos around, even this castle needed something to stabilize it, to create an antagonism to balance it.

While he was catching his breath, Julius clutched on the cross again, becoming lost in his thoughts. What would await him still? This was just the very begin of the many horrors which would lurk for him along the way, and he would need to gather his strength to push through all of the battles and challenges. Hopefully, there wouldn't be too many riddles along the way. He always had hated those puzzles...

Julius gritted his teeth, getting back on his feet. He could rest later on, but now, he had to go on. If he already let the challenges overwhelm him, he wouldn't have much of a chance to get to the very end, to the fight against the Dark Lord. He didn't want to be seen as a weakling, especially not by his arch enemy. Or rather, the arch nemesis of the whole world.

Once more, his hand closed around the cross pendant dangling around his neck. Julius felt a strange, soothing feeling coming from it, but at the same time, it was unsettling how this warm feeling rose into him. It felt like something was possessing him, rather than something embracing and soothing him.

He wasn't sure if he had felt right or had just imagined things, but there was the strong impression that something was off about the castle. There wasn't just _one_ pulse of darkness coming to him, but two. So, someone had succumbed to the darkness and was supporting Dracula? Had the exact case he had loathed so much become reality?

_'I'm just trying to scare myself. It must be Death, Dracula's beloved pet. Or maybe a vampire having gotten a little bit of power from him.'_

Julius shook his head; then, with firm steps, he left the room and went back to the corridor. Still, the zombies were endlessly rising from what seemed to be solid ground (only at a closer examination, Julius noticed the metallic smell coming from the deep red carpet covering the stone ground), staggering towards the hunter.

But this time, he felt more in control of himself. He was aiming for their weak spots, rather than letting himself get distracted by the bats joining the zombies soon enough. Those little critters were no problem; with one well-thrown dagger, they were taken care of.

After a felt eternity, the zombies ceased to rise from the ground, and Julius was left panting in exhaustion. He did, however, recover faster from it than before, which surprised him. Was there more about Vampire Killer than just being a weapon? He stared down at it in wonder. Well, considering what feats of strength his ancestors had performed, it wouldn't have surprised him. And after all, they somehow had to be kept supplied when traveling through the castle.

For a while, everything was quiet—except for the howling of some giant creature in the distance. He wasn't quite sure what to think of it, but as long as it remained distant, it was nothing of his concern yet. Though, it could become his concern quite fast, with knowing how warped and twisted the castle could be with the closer he got to the core of Chaos fueling it.

Julius calmly collected the throwing knives, noticing that the spilled blood of the creatures he had killed was dissolving into bright sparks. He seemed to have purified the vile and the tainted with his weapons. Nothing surprising, since they were all blessed with holy water and protective spells. He needed to watch out when to use what, though. He couldn't rely on an endless supply of holy water, or a never shrinking amount of knives. If he would have drawn them forth with magic, though, it would have been an entirely different thing...

Shaking his head lightly, Julius pressed on as soon as he had collected all of his knives. He was wishing for things beyond his control. First, he would need to make sure that he gathered more strength, before dipping into the realms of magic and holy weapons summoned from … well, where would they have been summoned from? He never had questioned it, and probably never would.

His thoughts ended with the moment he stepped into a hall just behind the Entrance of the castle, which was holding just the next wave of unholy creatures for him to fight. And it weren't just some puny zombies with the occasional annoying bat, oh no. Skeletons and Axe Armors had assembled here, accompanied by Wargs growling at him threateningly. Julius's eyes narrowed, the grip on his whip tightening. Alright, so that was the next level? He would do this. He had absolutely _no_ other choice.

The Skeletons were easy enough to handle, since their bones were dry enough to shatter on impact. The Axe Armors, however, were a whole different deal. The copper plates were not easily to be dented, or destroyed by the whip. Julius was huffing, especially since the Wargs with their snapping jaws were distracting him here and there, and it surely wasn't the good kind of distraction. Rather the deadly kind which would have served to get him into the grave much too early.

Julius gritted his teeth as he jumped backwards, having managed to defeat about a fourth of the armors by now. The Wargs just kept coming at him, and it was unsettling as well as unnerving him. And the stupid bats were fluttering through the room, too, which almost got him the one or other time. Those obnoxious bloodsuckers were making him angry, but he knew better than to let this anger overwhelm him. He needed to stay composed if he wanted to get anywhere.

The Wargs were the next to be slaughtered by the whip, but the Axe Armors were still pressing forward. Julius was panting, gritting his teeth and trying to shove his exhaustion away from him. He couldn't give up right now, not at such an early stage. It would have put him to shame, and it would have been horribly embarrassing—if he would have lived to tell the tale, of course.

He lost the count of armors he defeated, and of time passing while he was at it. In the end, however, he was victorious, even if very exhausted. Julius kept himself upright, though, not willing to look all miserable and like he was about to collapse. There weren't many more obstacles awaiting him, thankfully, and by the time he made it to another safe area, he was feeling much better again.

Once he had sat down in the safe area, Julius began to feel a little hungry. But where in the world should he get food from? He pondered for a while, then decided to just meditate for a moment. These rooms were something extraordinary, with how the pulsed and rippled around him. It wasn't of the unsettling kind, rather of the soothing kind. Something giving him the feeling that he was perfectly safe in the middle of the blessed areas.

While he was sitting there, he had the strange feeling that something of him was left behind. Just the softest, physical trace, while something else filled him. New energy, and the hunger was forgotten. Could that be healthy? Julius wasn't sure, but for the moment, it had to suffice. He couldn't afford to leave the castle and search for supplies for hours. It might cost him more than he could ever afford.

While he was heading towards the growling he heard in the distance, he noticed the complete lack of any enemies. A slightly uneasy feeling fell on him, but he remained on alert. He could feel a more concentrated amount of Chaos further ahead, making his stomach flutter nervously. Julius knew that, soon enough, he would face his first real monster. That before, that had been the canon fodder walking these damned halls for all of eternity, but what was only a few rooms further was the real deal.

As soon as he stepped into the next big hall, the gate behind him fell shut, the lock clicking and indicating that he was trapped in the room. Julius had to realize that the growling hadn't been coming from this room. And there wasn't much to be seen from the room. There were too many bats in the way to see anything at all.

Like on a secret sign, the bats rose into the air, fluttering in a confusing swirl. Julius was shuddering at the sight, a deep feeling of horror grasping him. Their perfectly synchronized movements, along with the countless gleaming little eyes on him, had something all too predatory. Had the other Belmonts of his bloodline felt the same way with their first big monster to slay? He could well imagine so … but it was not the right time to go to the 'what if' part.

_'I have a fight at hand. And I will win this fight. I will slay this first monster, and claim the Core.'_

The calmness coming over him was strange, but also reassuring. Keeping the movements of the bats in the corner of his eye, he focused on not making the slightest mistake. He may was a Belmont, but that didn't guarantee that he would win all of his fights. No, he would have to work on even getting that far, else there was no way he would get around the other big creatures. He needed to struggle and grow stronger by surviving everything Dracula would throw at him, no matter how horrible it would become.

The bat was attacking in two forms—one time, it would be one giant beast, and the next moment, it was dissolving into a cloud of hundreds of smaller creatures. Whenever Julius had the opportunity to, he was attacking the smaller ones, taking them out by the dozens with every hit. It didn't seem to weaken the big form substantially, but he could well imagine that if he took out enough of them, the Giant Bat would collapse sooner or later.

It took him a long enough time. Now and then, he almost got cornered, or attacked by those vicious little beasts, but he somehow managed to dodge. But the Giant Bat was more and more struggling to even stay in shape. It was slowly faltering, getting more and more into trouble, and finally, it exploded into thousands of little sparks, before something seemed to form in the center of the room.

A pulsing orb, glowing eerily, was floating there, and Julius for a long time wasn't sure if he should touch it. Then again, he had to try. Maybe it was something evil staying behind from the creature, and he had to erase it before he could completely eradicate the trace of chaos and darkness left by the Giant Bat.

As soon as he touched the orb, it glowed brightly, then vanished in a flash. Julius felt how new powers woke in him, and a smile spread on his face. The first step was taken. Many more were to follow... but he would see this through.


	3. Ghosts Unleashed

"Julius, are you alright?" Adrian had been waiting in the next safe area, giving Julius small wounds a cursory examination. "Good, there are no bad wounds so far. You have been quite careful."

"It was hard, though, with this bloody bat. Please tell me you are here to give me an ally. I don't think I want to go on alone."

"You must be a mind-reader." Adrian's lips had curled into the faintest of smiles, going unnoticed by Julius, who was more occupied with frowning at the damage his clothes had taken. "Elena Belnades offered to help you."

A woman with bright blue clothes and long, black pants stepped forward, shaking hands with Julius. She was taller than him-which had to be blamed at a pair of dangerously high-heeled black boots. Elena had a quite bright, friendly smile, which was easing Julius's worries.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Belnades."

"Please, call me Elena. I am not really keen on keeping everything polite. Besides, why caring in such times?"

"True that." Julius then turned towards Adrian. "I hope you are being careful, too. If not, I'll drag your ass back from Hell, if it has to be."

"You are about to step into the heart of Hell." Adrian sighed, then bid farewell to them. "Please, _do_ be careful."

After Adrian had gone, Elena too care of the scratches on Julius's arm. Especially his left had been the aim of many attacks, it seemed, but the arm was soon enough taken care of. Elena then explained that before, she hadn't been able to come with Julius, because of the still overwhelming Chaos energies. With the flow having decreased like that, she could wield her magic with less, even if not completely without trouble.

Julius merely nodded and then gestured at the gate to the next part of the chaotic castle. Elena exhaled quietly, grabbing a light maze. Bright blue electricity was playing around the fingers of her right hand, her powers seeming to be close to just breaking out. It was partly because of the Chaos, but at least, she had a good enough grip on it for now.

"What do you think will await us next, after the Great Entrance?"

"Well, I do hope that it _won't_ be a cavern full of slimy monsters." Julius remarked somewhat dryly. "But you can never know in this castle. With a core of Chaos, it can _always_ become worse."

Elena nodded, pushing open the door. A short corridor led to an identical door, which marked the begin of the next part. These corridors had something rather intimidating about them-there was no telling what would come next. Sure, there was a chance that somewhere, a map was waiting for them to be picked up, but in all honesty, it was damned hard to use one of those for the purpose of finding around the castle. Even more with the possibility to be teleported to a different part and find oneself in a completely different area.

They didn't hesitate for long, though. The longer one waited before taking the next step, the more possible it was that they would be too afraid to ever do it. Julius took over to press the door open, and reveal a long gallery with marble pillars stretching out in front of them.

Blood red water was overflowing the ground, reaching up to Julius's ankles. He was just glad he had mostly waterproof gear, as it would have become rather annoying to move around in cold, damp boots. Elena grimaced, crouching a little and dipping a finger into the water.

"It's unsettling how warm it is. As if coming from a body."

"Elena, if you would be so kind and please _spare_ me the details, I would be glad."

"Sorry, Julius. It seems like we have stepped into the Bloodwater Gallery. Dracula always had a very sick kind of humor..."

Julius merely nodded quietly, grasping Vampire Killer tightly. Whatever was waiting ahead wouldn't come for them with blush weapons and flowers to greet them. They had to be on their guard. Elena muttered a short incantation, a flame appearing next to her. Most curiously, the flame seemed to rather be a small spirit, moving around almost with some sort of curiosity.

"I am only able to do small summonings." Elena had noticed Julius's mildly confused look. "I have read about it somewhere, and achieved a parchment with more detailed instructions. For calling a giant beast, though, my magic isn't strong enough. Elements are my strong point, so this flame was relatively easy."

Julius sighed quietly, a smile appearing on his face. "My family never was very keen on magic. With exception of Juste, maybe. And if you can call the use of our subweapons magic is highly debatable."

"Which we can do after cleaning up this place."

Julius inwardly asked himself how Elena could walk this securely on highheels, especially with the ground being slippery from the strange mix of water and ... hopefully _not_ blood. But ever since Elena had mentioned the name of this part, Julius had felt uncomfortable with walking here. If this really was blood, then where in the name of all the Saints was it coming from?

"Is something the matter?" Elena had noticed the small frown. "Do you feel unwell?"

"Slightly." Julius couldn't hide it really. "It's really just the mental images I'm getting there..."

"Ah, I see." Elena then stopped suddenly. "Let's cut the chit-chat. We have company."

Ghosts were filling the mainly dark gallery with their dim light, coming for them relatively slowly. They knew, however, that there was no guarantee it would remain like that. With time, there would more and more be spawning all over the gallery, unless they were fast with finding the source of the many Ghosts.

Julius was focusing on keeping them away from Elena, while Elena was casting powerful lightning spheres to thin out the wall of Ghosts coming towards them from the other end of the gallery. Whatever was attracting them from all parts of the castle had to be hidden somewhere in the gallery, or maybe in one of the rooms belonging to the gallery. It would, at any case, make their progress easier and quicken it, the less worries they had with enemies.

Now and then, Julius felt like he was close to falling over, with how slippery the ground was in some parts. He always managed to recover his balance, though it also rendered him defenseless for the seconds of fright he got out of it. And every time it happened, he thanked God that Elena was there to blast the Ghosts away with a rather strong flame.

Finally, they got into one of the rooms, which thankfully was dry. Julius frowned at his dripping boots, giving the room a closer look then. There was no demon to be seen … with the exception of _floating clothes_.

"Funny, I thought they would be found somewhere else in the castle. But apparently, we'll have to deal with them already..."

Elena didn't give the Invisible Man enough time to shed the trenchcoat and the bowler hat. She unleashed a rain of ice crystals on him, until the blood was flowing freely, and the demon finally collapsed. Julius was speechless, since he wouldn't have expected Elena to be this cold-blooded. But apparently, he had underestimated her.

The source of Chaos energy destroyed, they returned to the corridor of the Bloodwater Gallery, just to understand that there were several sources attracting the blasted Ghosts. But with patience, and Elena's magic, they could get rid of all of them. A Chaos core then formed in the middle of the Gallery, and after a short nod from Elena's side, Julius grasped it.

"We can't pass yet. Look ahead." The door to the next part was blocked with tendrils of some sort. "There has to be a trigger to make them release the door."

Julius nodded, looking mildly troubled though. "How are we going to find out where this switch is?"

"It must be in the last room. We haven't checked the one at the begin yet."

And Elena was right—the switch finally drained the strange bloody water, the candles flickering with small flames and shedding their light.

"The castle almost looks inviting like that."

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Julius. We need to press on."

"How was my mind even in the gutter?"

"Don't ask. Just come on."


End file.
